Page 74 of Pragma
“Some of Leone’s men are going to be here in a few minutes.” Hopefully.
“Sebastiano Leone, the Italian mobster? Why would they come here?” Her gaze is laser-focused on me.
“Do we need to fight them too?” the other man asks.
“No. They are here to help. I think. I told my men that if something happens they should call my brother.”
“Your brother, who is in a romantic relationship with Leone’s right hand, Moretti?” She knew it already, of course.
She’s staring at me with an intense gaze I’ve rarely seen before, and never aimed at me.
“You’re full of surprises,gaijin,” she whispers loudly.
“Finish your smoke,Kumicho, and then we need to get out of here.” I roll up the sleeves of my shirt and tie my hair in a high ponytail.
I hear a loud thud just outside the door. Then another one.
One of the two men points at the door before slowly moving toward it. He slowly slides the wood open whenbang! The bullet goes through his head, splattering part of his brain on the table before his body drops on the floor.
Fuck, they already found us.
More bullets fly inside the room. I push my back to the wall and slink toward the door, stopping near the edge, when I see the muzzle of a gun appearing from the corridor. I shove it upwardas I stab the man’s heart. Another guy comes behind him, thekumichoshoots at his hand, forcing him to drop the gun.
I flip the table upright and push it against the man, then I kick the glass surface. It shatters into a million pieces as my leather boot goes through it and lands forcefully on his guts, making him stumble and fall on another guy entering the room. I throw the table frame to the side. A piece of glass has cut my cheek; I wipe the blood away.
I hear a gunshot, thekumichotook care of another mercenary while her man is fighting against two others. Fuck, they’re like roaches. They don’t stop coming.
Thekumichothrows the small empty gun at the next guy, hitting him right between the eyes. I grab his neck, and get a good hold of his belt, too, lift him up, and then shove him down, head first onto the floor, breaking his neck.
Aki would have declared this as the best kill of the day.
I don’t hear more footsteps, so I find the first man I killed. I pull the blade out of his body and grab his gun. I check the mag as thekumichoand her man do the same with the other dead fuckers’ weapons.
“We need to move!”
I lean toward the open door and look in the empty corridor, as soon as I step out, another mercenary comes from the left. I shoot him in the head, but he pulls the trigger, and the bullet grazes my shoulder. Fuck, it burns.
Kumicho’s man comes out, covering my back, while the big boss is between us. I grab the corpse and use him as a shield beforetwo men appear in front of me. I slide my armed hand under the dead man’s armpit and pull the trigger, getting both of them.
I hear movement on my right. I turn, taking the corpse with me, and blaze away, hearingKumichonear me emptying her gun on the three guys too. I’m dropping the dead man on the floor when I see Marco Moretti followed by four men entering, weapons in hand.
“So, now you think you can call me for help?” he delivers without emotion.
I don’t care. I’m just glad Joel convinced him to come.
“Isn’t family supposed to do that?” I retort, turning to look at thekumicho. Her man is down, blood on the front of his shirt, but still breathing.
“Family?” He huffs. “Your brother said the exact same thing.”
I smirk, proud of Joel. He saved my life.
“Moretti, I presume?” Thekumichohas the ability to stare down at people much bigger and taller than her.
“Boss Hebikawa,” he respectfully addresses her. And I thought he didn’t have a smidge of politeness in him. “We took care of the ones outside. Two ninja girls are finishing the last ones.” He must be talking about Yuna and Karin.
Soma and Masa appear behind him. And everybody turns toward them with guns held high.
“You almost got shot,” thekumichobarks at them.
